Great Time Graphing The Tides At Bulls

With the Wood Ducks out of town this week and the countdown to Wander Day fast approaching (we all know Wander Franco will be called up soon), I decided to make a trip to Durham and try to graph the Bulls this weekend.  I also used it as an opportunity to break my friend, Tyler, in to IP graphing.  He had never done it before, but has shown interest, so I helped him pick out an autograph book and got him started on his way.  What better way to get him started, than to try to pursue the #1 prospect in baseball, Wander Franco.

Tyler, Chris and I were met in Durham by my awesome friends, Jackson and Dugan.  Dugan had this Franco Midwest League all star card that he got signed for me last week, so I figured, even if we didn't get Franco, I could leave there with a Franco auto.

Obviously, we ended up getting Franco.  I was able to get him inside the stadium as he was about to warm up; he had bypassed us outside upon arrival saying he had a meeting.  Jackson convinced me to get my card signed with the copper Sharpie that I brought, and it really looks great on the gold card.  It is numbered to 50, so that was pretty cool, too.

Chris had the above triple card in his book, and got Kevin Padlo and Vidal Brujan on arrival.  We were afraid we would leave without Wander on that card, but a guy we had helped outside (he was new to graphing and didn't even have a pen with him to get his ball signed; so I let him borrow mine) was from the Dominican and took my card (and book) and ran Wander down to get his signed after Wander bypassed Chris again.  The guy saw me with the card and asked why Wander didn't sign, I said "I got him inside, it's cool." and he said no, took my book and ran after him talking to him in Spanish.  Turns out, they had talked about being from the Dominican, and Wander stopped and chatted with the guy again.  He turned out to be a super nice guy, and told us stories about baseball in his country as we waited for other players to come out.  I ended up letting him keep my pen.  It was the least I could do.

We got Vidal Brujan on quite a few cards.  I think he is going to be a really good player as well.  He's super fast and probably won't take long to get called up.

We didn't miss too many of the Durham players, which was great.  I was up til 2AM Saturday searching and prepping cards and graphing books.  I was able to get a bunch of cards out and prepped, so I was really glad with the results.

I even got a Wool E Bull card signed while at the game, which was pretty cool.  Apparently, folks go wild over some of these mascot cards, but this one will stay in my album.  I got a couple Drew Strotman cards from Jackson, which helped me out.  I wasn't able to find any of him for some reason.  Brent Honeywell was one per, but the cards he signed turned out great.  Jackson and Dugan hadn't been able to get Luis Patino all week, but luckily, we got him on Saturday; he has an awesome signature.

The Joe Odom card came from Dugan, which was nice.  I wouldn't have had anything of him.  Ryan Boldt was one of the tougher guys for me to get (aside from Wander) because no one could recognize him.  We got my one card done, though.

I got David Hess inside after the game, and spoke to him a bit.  He was super nice, and the cards turned out great.  Deivy Grullon was the first guy to stop for us outside, and I was so happy to get the 2020 Panini Score Select signed, since I had to search boxes while watching Cobra Kai Friday night.  Those cards turned out great.

We were able to get a few Norfolk guys on arrival after we got the Bulls that we needed.  Several of the Tides players signed for us, even after a trainer came out of the clubhouse and told us the players couldn't sign due to COVID.  Thomas Eschelman was the only player who refused us due to these restrictions.

I was really excited to get Yusniel Diaz at the game, because I hadn't seen him before.  I recognized him, which was a surprise, and he signed one card for each of us.

Jackson and Dugan had dipped into my stash of extras when we learned that it was, in fact, Diaz, and they helped me out with the extras.

On a whim, I added this 2019 Allen & Ginter gold of Vincent Stio to my snap case and brought it with me.  I knew he lived in NC and went to a lot of games in the area, but was primarily as fixture at Mudcats games.  He's an aspiring umpire, and will dress as one and attend minor league games across the state.  He mimics the umpires movements and has been brought onto the field several times.  I found this card in one of my card shop boxes and knew I'd run into him somewhere.  This was an awesome example of being super prepared.  Chris and I were getting into the line for the all you can eat buffet, and Chris noticed Vincent.  So, I was able to graph a kid younger than my son as a minor league game.  At least he and his dad were cool about it.

My good eye also spotted Ryan Ripken as he was entering the Tides clubhouse, and I had a short conversation with him.  It was regarding a card that I had brought with me that has become a small project of mine.  I plan to finish the card off with a couple of Ryan's relatives, but he signed it for me and enjoyed seeing it.  He is such a great guy, and I was glad to see him again.

So, we had an awesome time at the game and enjoyed the company of my son and friends.  In all we got 65 autographs:

Wander Franco x 2, Vidal Brujan x 13, Kevin Padlo x 3, Ryan Boldt x 1, Adam Conley x 3, Chris Ellis x 5, Deivy Grullon x 6, David Hess x 4, Joseph Odom x 1, Wool E Bull x 1, Josh Lowe x 3, Brent Honeywell x 3, Wyatt Mathisen x 2, Luis Patino x 4, Drew Strotman x 2, Vincent Stio x 1, Brett Cumberland x 1, Yusniel DIaz x 5, Zac Lowher x 2, Ryan Ripken x 1 and Willy Yahn x 2.

TTM Success - Randy Johnson

I wasn't going to buy in on the Randy Johnson signing that my friend, Jackson, was hosting.  It was too rich for my blood, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to send off a card.  I wanted to support my friend, but I also had a card in mind that I wanted to send to the signing.  It wasn't the above 1997 Pinnacle Zenith.  It was the green chrome parallel below.  It wasn't until I found the Zenith in a box from my former LCS that I really wanted to send in.  Pair that with the National finally being canceled for 2020, I took some of the money I had saved for the National and put it toward the signing.  Since I couldn't decide on one card, I sent both.  The Zenith turned out amazing and may be one of my favorite signed cards in my collection now.

The 2020 Topps Silver Pack 85 Chrome green parallel also looks awesome.  It is numbered 18/99 and was a really nice pull from a pack back when I busted my 2020 Topps boxes.

Jackson has been doing a ton of signings lately, and I hope to join in on some more.  I mailed to the signing on November 14 and got the cards back on January 19, for a 66-day TAT.

More Dontrelles From Jackson

My friend, Jackson, had some more Dontrelle Willis cards available, so I picked some up that I thought would look cool in my album.  I opened a lot of 2006 Fleer Tradition back when it came out, but have unloaded a bunch of it.  So, I hardly have any left that I could sent out for TTMs.  The cards aren't really all that special, with the exception that they are pretty colorful.

I liked both of these horizontal cards of Willis, so I made sure to pick them up, as well.

Jackson has a ton of these left over, so if anyone wants to buy a few off of him, I know he would appreciate it.  If you are interested, please comment with your email address or a social media platform so I can put you in touch with him.  By the way, if you have been reading this blog for a while, you'll know that I don't have a way to respond to your comments if you don't put an email address or some other contact info.  So, if you have commented in the past with a question and haven't heard from me, that's why!

Some Great Signed Cards From Jackson

My friend Jackson, in Arizona, took a 50/50 for me and also sold me a signed card.  The card he sold was the 2004 Cracker Jack Dotrelle Willis shown above.  I really like the Cracker Jack set, and have contemplated picking up a box.  The cards look great when signed.  Jackson did a private signing with Willis, which I missed.  Thankfully, he had some extras, and I picked this beauty up.

Jackson also sees Will Morris and Harvey Monte locally over there, so he got some cards out of my boxes and had them signed for me.  We split the Morris cards, and since I had only one Monte, he gave me that one.

I was afraid that I wouldn't have any Monte, but I had the single card in my "rookies" box, so it was good to get that one out.

Thanks so much for taking the cards and selling me the Willis, Jackson!

Christmas Gift From Jackson

My good friend, Jackson, sent me this awesome Christmas gift that included the above signed Brooks Robinson 1965 Topps.

1965 is one of my favorite sets, and I was glad to be able to put this Brooks in my autograph album.

Jackson included this Jim Palmer Hall of Fame plaque card, which I had never seen before.  If The Orioles hadn't canceled Fan Fest, I would put this at the top of my list of cards that I would want to get signed.  Unfortunately, I won't be able to for the time being, but might give it a shot later this summer.

Finally, Jackson included these two cards in the package.  I might see Jomar Reyes this summer, and I can always use new Brooks cards.

Thank you so much for the package, Jackson!

Meeting Johnny Bench and Doug Flynn

My friend Billy, who Chris and I met at the Wood Ducks games a while back, told me recently about a signing that was to take place in Wallace, NC with Hall of Famer, Johnny Bench.  The signing was going to happen at the Mad Boar restaurant in Wallace a few days before the Hope For The Heroes golf tournament.  Apparently, Bench has been coming out this way for years, and the benefit has grown.  I went ahead and searched for a ton of cards, as the lady I spoke to on the phone told me that autographs would be between $5-$10.  I knew there was no way, but from what Billy told me, the prices were very reasonable with a donation going toward the cause.  He donated a sum last year and got his items signed, so I figured I had a good chance to get a ton of stuff taken care of.

In all, I got 11 items signed by Bench, and 14 items signed by Doug Flynn for a donation of $330 to the cause.  Bench was a little surly at the start, but during the second time through the line, he had a couple more drinks in him, and he had settled down.

I made the trip with my son, Chris, and met up with my good friend, Jackson, and also Billy.  Jackson made the trip through the line with me initially and got a couple baseballs signed.  He and I went back through with his Doug Flynn cards, and a couple more baseballs, and that was when Bench had warmed up a lot more.  He offered for us to come behind the table with him and take some pictures, which made the initial surliness a distant memory.

 I had to raid some of my sets to have some good Topps cards for Bench to sign.  Also, I had sent most of my Flynns to someone else for graphing, so I was pretty short on his stuff.  I did get rid of a couple 1976 Topps Reds team cards, which is always a plus.  I put Flynn on those and gave one to Chris.

My amazingly awesome friend, Max, sent me an assortment of Flynn cards to go along with the few that I raided from my completed sets.  All of the cards turned out great, and I was glad to get everything signed.  I don't mind replacing what I robbed from the sets at a later date.

I did find a ton of 1983 Donruss Doug Flynn cards, but that was because that box is at the very bottom of my stack of 5,000-count boxes, and apparently, I was too lazy to look through it for the 50/50 I had sent off for earlier on.

This was Surly Bench, early on.  He made a comment about how I wasn't really donating, but paying to get cards signed.  I got the point, but because I believed in the cause was why I spent so much.  If it was a donation to fund an underwater basket weaving class, I wouldn't have spent as much.

Bench was a lot happier when this photo of Jackson and I was taken with Bench and Flynn.  He really ended up being cool, and I imagine he was just trying to bust my chops early on.  I get it, and I definitely am not bothered by it anymore.

The main piece that was signed was this photo from 2013 of Chris and Bench.  Photo cred goes to old friend of the blog, the great Drew!  (Drew, time for you to come back to the blogs)

Finally, I upgraded the Bench ball in my collection with one of these, and I got an extra one done, just because.

I was happy to contribute to the Hope For The Heroes cause, and also spend some time with my son and a couple good friends.  Thanks to Billy for telling me about the event, and thanks to Jackson for making the trip.I definitely will go next year!

July 2019 Graphing Recap of Blue Rocks at Mudcats

This past Saturday, with Chris out of town, I decided to use m rain check for the July 4th Mudcats game so I could catch the Blue Rocks.  Wilmington is the only team that hasn't made a trip down to the Wood Ducks yet this season.  I thought it would be a good idea, especially with Chris gone, to get a few cards knocked out.  That way, I would have a head start for when they finally come to town this weekend.

Also, I stocked up on some Mudcats, and was able to get some nice stuff signed.  The above Phil Bickford was so nice, he even complimented it.  He had never seen the card before.

I had cards from the Carolina League Top Prospects and All Star sets, so that gave me a few guys I wouldn't have had.

I also had picked up two Mudcats team sets, and started working on those.  This year's team set looks really cool.  I'm glad I picked them up.

I also was able to pick up a Midwest League All Star set, so I started in on that, as well.  I'll have to send off a lot of those cards, since they have some teams I won't see, but the cards are still cool, and there are some big names in there.

It took me a while to realize that the Mudcats' Wes Rogers was in 2018 Heritage Minors, but he is really cool, and I was able to get him to sign this.

I had waited a long time to get some of my Nick Pratto cards done.  The above Team USA cards were found at a show, and look really great.

This Bowman Chrome also looks really cool.

I was worried that I wouldn't get this Black Perkins 2016 Bowman Chrome Blue Shimmer refractor signed; he had been called up to AA earlier in the season.  Thankfully (for me, not for him, sadly), he was bumped back down to High A, and I was able to get my card signed.

Scott Thorman didn't seem like he was going to stop for us, but his son told him we were calling for him, and he turned around and signed for Jackson and I.  He seemed nice, though, and signed everything we had.

I have a ton of MJ Melendez, and he signed three of the cards in my book.  This was one of those times where having Chris right there would have really helped.

I misplaced my snap case I had set aside for Lexington in April, so I missed out on some Michael Gigliotti.  Thankfully, Gerard had sent me some in a 50/50, and I ended up with a 2018 Heritage Minors.

Kyle Isbel signed only one card for us, and Kris Bubic was two-per.

Brewer Hicklen signed everything we had.

Finally, the Mudcats were having a promo where the "Soup Nazi" from Seinfeld was there signing autographs.  I'm not much of  Seinfeld fan, but I knew of the character, so I got the team set checklist signed by him.  I even had him put the "No Soup For You" inscription.

Next series is the Mudcats coming down to the Wood Ducks.  Hopefully, the weather will hold out.

A Gift From Jackson

I had the 2012 Bowman Red Ice Nick Markakis on my wishlist page for a long time.  Problem is, I had gotten the card from my friend, Gerard, and forgot to remove it from the page.  My buddy, Jackson, had told me that he had also picked one up for me, but kept forgetting to bring it to the Wood Ducks games.

Finally, Jackson remembered it, after some time, and handed it off to me.  Now I have two of these, and that is just fine with me.  These red ice parallels are really cool, and look great.  I think a red refractor, or ice parallel is probably the best looking out of the lineage of parallels for a Bowman card.  Of course, I have seen several  different shimmer parallels pop up, and those look great, as well.

Thanks so much for the card, Jackson!

May 24, 2019, Graphing of Wood Ducks at Mudcats

Chris and I hit the road this past Friday to go to my parents' to celebrate my sister's baby shower.  On the way out of town, we stopped by Five County Stadium in Zebulon and saw the Wood Ducks take on the Mudcats in a battle of the first and second place teams in the Carolina League Southern Division.  The Wood Ducks held a 3.5 game lead coming into the 4-game series.  The Woodies lost this game, but won the other three, so they now hold a 5.5 game lead in the division and are holding on until the end of the first half.  They hope to clinch a playoff spot, which is very possible.

I didn't have many cards, but the Tristen Lutz cards that I ordered from COMC had come in, and I got those done.  The above Bowman Hi Tek is a blue parallel numbered 68/75.  It turned out really awesome, and I love how it looks.

I also got the Hi Tek base, and a couple Elite Extra Editions.  All of them turned out really well.  Lutz is really nice, and signed everything we had.

I also met up with my good friend, Jackson, who graphs with  us here and there.  He also works for the Wood Ducks, so we see him at a ton of games.  I loved this photo that he posted last year, so without telling him, I made him some Topps custom cards with it.  He really liked them, and finally got around to signing two of them for Chris and I.  I think they turned out really well.  I hope he can put them to use.